Undergarment



18,1932. c. G. WRIGHT 1,883,263

UNDERGARIEN T Filed July 18. 1929 mega-d oct. is, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLAIR G. WRIGHT, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR T ELY WALKER DRY GOODS COMPANY, 0F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION 0F MISSOURI UNDERGARMENT Application mea my 1s, 1929. semi N..avs,179.

My invention relates to garments and more particularly to undergarments, track pants and like nether garments having bands for constricting the waist portions thereof, and has for its principal objects-to provide fullness over the hips of the wearer, to minimize the pucliering' of the constrictive waist band, and to enhance the smoothness of the inner surface of the waist band.

In garments of the character referred to, waist bands are provided with elastic members for yieldingly binding the band to the wearer, and contraction of the elastic mem- -ber tends to form relatively large wrinkles in portions of a band and other garment elements attached or connected thereto. A particular object of the invention therefore is to attach an elastic member to a garment in such a manner as to minimize the size of wrinkles formed in garment elements and distribute the distorted portions relatively smoothly.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of whichA are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective front viewv of a garment constructed in accordance with my inveution.

Fig. 2 is an inside view of a side portion of the garment in partly assembled condition illustrating the relations between garment members and an elastic member.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the portion shown in Fig. 2, illustrating the relation of parts at a later stage of manufacture.

Fig. 4 is a view of the inside face of a side portion of the completed garment.

Referring in detail to the drawing:

l and 2 designate legs having upper portions oined to form the body of a nethcr garment, the upper edge portions of the body being constructed and reinforced as presently described to form a waist band 3.

Each leg preferably comprises two pieces of material having the lower portions of outer vertical edges joined to form a seam 4 extending from the lower horizontal edge of the leg partway towards the waist line, and

I the waist line.

preferably less than half way to the waist line, the vertical edges diverging upwardly from said seam to form a recess, and preferably extending in parallel relation adjacent of material comprising leg portions are. there fore relatively narrow, and adjacent inner vertical edges extend in parallel and spaced relation at the waist line. I

A gusset or dart 5 preferably inelastic and having greater width at its widest upper portion than the natural spacing of the parallel edges of the leg portions is inserted in the recess and attached to the leg portions by seams 6, and is adapted to bulge as at 7 to relieve pressure over the hips of the wearer.

An elastic member 8 having less length than the width of the insert or gusset when the latter is extended is attached to the vertical parallel edges of the leg portions to span the recess and comprise a yielding waist band member, and is of such length and elasticity that the gusset may be extended without stretching said member beyond its limit of elasticity. The spaced leg portions are brought toward each other, and the gusset wrinkled as shown in Fig. 2, for attaching the ends of the relaxed elastic member to the vertical edges of the leg portions, to assure contraction of the gusset to a desired limited extent. The ends of the elastic member are attached to the edges of the leg portions, on the seams 6, and also to the gusset by stitches 9, the member being spaced from the upper edge of the gusset to permit folding of said edge over the elastic member, and seating the elastic member relatively snugly in the folded edge.

The gusset is mounted on the inside faces of the leg portions to fill the cutout recess and form a hip portion of the body of the garment, and the elastic member is attached to the inside faces of the seams 6, so that the upper edge portion 10 of the gusset may be turned inwardly over the elastic member and attachedto the inner face thereof.

The upper edges 11 of the leg portions are similarly inturned over the inner faces of the material to form abindng edge aligned with the inturned upper edge of the gusset,

The upper edges of the pieces and said inturned edges of leg portions and gusset are secured by a line of stitchin 12 adjacent the newly formed upper fo ded edge 13. Said line of stitching attaches the binding edge and elastic member to the gusset on a line spaced from the folded edge sufticiently to assure engagement of the gusset portions with the upper edge of the elastic member.

' Attention is called to the fact illustrated in Fig. 3, that the gusset is extended, and the elastic member stretched, for applying the binding edge 10, and the stitches are applied while the members are thus extended. A binding strip 14 having folded edges is then applied to the waist portion of the garment, while the gusset is extended and the elastic member substantially at its elastic limit, and attached by a plurality of lines of stitches 15, 16 and 17. The upper line of stitches 15 extends through the inturned binding edges of the leg portions and gusset, and bind the gusset, elastic member, inturned edge and strip together. The stitches 16 and 17 bind the strip to the leg portions, and bind the gusset, elastic member and strip together. The several lines of stitching are preferably applied in a single operation, the upper edge of the body including the gusset being inturned and the strip applied to receive the stitches.

The needles in the machine effecting the sewing operation lare aligned transversely of the lines of stitches, so that points of entrance of the needles are aligned vertically of the Waist band and the threads form sets of vertically aligned stitches to effect the formation of vertical plaits or folds when the elastic is relaxed. Plaits or folds occur therefore between adjacent vertical sets of stitch points spaced longitudinally of the waist band.

The stitches are relatively short, and thus provide narrowly spaced ties securing the elastic member to the gusset and strip at close intervals.- When the elastic member contracts, the gusset and strip will be contracted, but by formation of relatively small ver' tical Wrinkles or folds, so that the inside surface of the waist band will remain relaf tively smooth and will be symmetrically wrinkled.

The spacing of the binding strip 14 from the folded edge of the gusset, and limitation of the inturned gusset edge, provide for aa relatively thin upper edge portion of the waist band element formed by the binding edge, elastic member, portion comprising the three thicknesses of material at areas including gusset, elastic member and inturned binding edge, compared with four thicknesses in areas including gusset, elastic member, binding edge and strlp, and three thicknesses in areas including .if it strip preferably and strip, said upper edgel gusset, elastic member, and strip. The triple thickness upper edge is formed into small plaits upon contractionv of the elastic member, and is less bulky than would be the case comprised more thicknesses of material. A hip portion and waist band element are formed on each side of the garment, a single extending over both sides to comprise a single overlying element, so that the four horizontal lines of stitches on a garment may beformed in a single operation with needles positioned abreast to effect the vertical alignment of the stitches.

What I claim and desire to secure by Leti ters Patent is: i

1. In a. garment of the character described including front and back portions having the lower ends of the side edges seamed together and the upper ends of each of the side edges diverging away from said seam portions to form substantially triangular shaped recesses at the sides of the garment, comple- ,mentary shaped inserts received in the recesses and sewed to the diverging side edges, elastic strips of shorter length than the width of said inserts spaced from the upper edges of the inserts and having their ends attached to the side edges of the front and back portions, an inwardly extending fold formed at the upper edges of the inserts and the front and back portions of the garment, a line of stitching extending through the fold and the elast-ic strips, a binding strip overlying the fold and the elastic strips and spaced from the line of stitching, and parallel lines of stitching extending through the elastic strips for securing the binding strip, said lines of stitching being inserted when the elastic strips are in stretched condition to form hip-receiving pockets in the sides of the garment when the elastic strips are in normal condition.

2. In a garment of the character described including front and back members having spaced vertical side edge'portions, an insert having side edges sewed to said spaced side edge portions of said members, an elastic strip of shorter length than the Width of said insert having an upper edge spaced downwardly from the upper edge of the insert and having opposite ends attached to said spaced side edge portions of the members, an inwardly extending fold formed at the upper edge of the insert and at the upper edges of said members to overlie the strip. a line of stitching extending through the fold and the elastic strip, a binding strip overlying the fold and the elastic strip. and parallel lines of stitching extending through the elastic strip and insert for securing the binding strip and elastic strip to the insert, said lines of stitching being applied while the elastic strip is in stretched condition.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CLAIR G. VRIGHT.

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